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BTD Forums / Cook Right 4 Your Type / What to do with that block of Tofu?

Posted by: Andrea AWsec, Monday, January 31, 2011, 2:31pm

For many of us A's soy is a diamond food. Learning how to cook with it is a challenge. It looks so odd and most of us did not grow up eating it. So any of you former vegetarians have any tips for us?Love to hear them.(nerd)

Posted by: C_Sharp, Monday, January 31, 2011, 3:00pm; Reply: 1

If it is soft grind it up into a smoothie, pudding, ...

If it is medium, cube it and add to soup.

If it is more firm cube it and fry with onions and snails.

Cube it, fry the the cubes and add the fried tofu to a tossed salad.

Cube the tofu, cut some vegetables into chunks, mix adding some dry spics as you you do. Spread the mixture into 9 by 13 pan and bake until the vegetables are done.

Slices the tofu into pieces a half inch thick, pour a sauce over the slices and bake it.

I used to enjoy firm tofu that was drained, pressed, cubed and then fried in butter with herbs. There are so many similar methods.

Draining and pressing (or pressing and draining) tofu is a very important step. You want to squeeze the liquid out of that block. You place it on a plate and put another plate on top of it, with a weight on it: Brick, heavy skillet... Periodically you pour off the water that issues from the tofu, until it's no longer producing any/much.

Now you've got something that will absorb the flavors YOU want it to have. :)

For many of us A's soy is a diamond food. Learning how to cook with it is a challenge. It looks so odd and most of us did not grow up eating it. So any of you former vegetarians have any tips for us?Love to hear them.(nerd)

Andrea: I think there are a fair number of current vegetarians on the Forum. They are probably as likely to have some good ideas. :D

Posted by: jayneeo, Monday, January 31, 2011, 4:45pm; Reply: 5

all of those are good ideas...I used to do those and also this- slice thin, sprinkle with wh. free tamari, dredge in nutr. yeast, saute in evoo. serve on 100%rye toast spread with tahini. can't have anymore... :'(

Posted by: Momotaro, Monday, January 31, 2011, 4:55pm; Reply: 6

Here in Japan, they make miso soup with tofu:

Maybe double check to see if all ingredients are compliant for your BT.Amounts are approximate only.

Water (2 cups)Dashi (fish stock, or you might have to find a compliant seasoning) (1 tsp)Wakame seaweed (washed, cut, and added at the very end so it doesn't get overcooked mushy) -- a very small amountTofu cut into cubes (small amount)Miso (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) add it last, using a sieve to blend it, preferably when it is no longer boiling hot.Top with cut green onions.

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Also another Asian Chinese style dish might include:

Tofu cut into cubesFry in sesame oilAdd chopped green onions and salt

Additional variations,... I also used to make it with any of (from the Asian store, but not sure if these are BT compliant since I don't have these bottles to see what the ingredients are):

1) Chinese black bean sauce2) Oyster sauce3) Soy sauce

I don't remember which combinations I used but I imagine any combination would work well (if they indeed are BT compliant.

Posted by: Ladyhawk58, Monday, January 31, 2011, 5:06pm; Reply: 7

Quoted Text

...I used to do those and also this- slice thin, sprinkle with wh. free tamari, dredge in nutr. yeast, saute in evoo.

I agre with what Jayneeo said above - it's one of my favourite ways of having tofu, although I tend to fry it in ghee. It's nice the next day chopped up into a salad too. I press the tofu in a towel first though to get rid of some of the moisture and then dip in the tamari.

I also put it into fruit smoothies - not too much at a time or it will taste funny, but maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of a block with lots of fruit (pineapple, pawpaw, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi etc), almond milk, lecithin and honey or stevia to sweeten. If you don't have almond milk you can use water plus a spoonful of almond butter.

all of those are good ideas...I used to do those and also this- slice thin, sprinkle with wh. free tamari, dredge in nutr. yeast, saute in evoo. serve on 100%rye toast spread with tahini. can't have anymore... :'(

"Back in the day", this was my favorite way to fix tofu. I sauteed it in ghee and packed it into warm pocket bread with cheese and some kind of salad stuffings.

Posted by: Lola, Monday, January 31, 2011, 5:34pm; Reply: 9

hot creamy chocolate soy latte with no additives and tweaked to perfection!!!use the silken tofu

Posted by: TJ, Monday, January 31, 2011, 6:02pm; Reply: 10

Doorstop, paperweight...the possibilities are endless! ;)

Posted by: Lola, Monday, January 31, 2011, 7:08pm; Reply: 11

;D

Posted by: Lola, Tuesday, February 1, 2011, 2:35am; Reply: 12

try creamy soy icecream!!!

process tofu with compliant frozen fruit and sweetener if need be.....its a hit!!

This morning DS was having something that looked suspiciously like a blood sugar crash after breakfast, so I made him some tofu. He loves tofu (he's a type A and loves his trucks and Legos and other boy stuff, so don't talk to me about estrogen--lol), so I sliced a package, sprinkled it with a mix of salt, garlic powder, onion powder and turmeric, and fried it in ghee. He gobbled it up and was okay till lunch.

During our 18 years as vegetarians, DH and I ate tons of tofu. As someone already said, it needs to be drained (only hard tofu, not the silken stuff) By far, the best way to achieve a good consistency is to blot slices of hard (or chinese) tofu dry on a teatowel or paper towel, and then freeze them. The frozen slices when thawed take on more of a meaty consistency, and can be treated in many ways that you might treat chicken.

Our all-time favourite was to crumb the slices and fry in butter, and serve with rice noodles and a sauce - sometimes a soy sauce/sesame oil based dressing, sometimes a delicious combo of coconut milk, mango puree and sweet chili sauce. YYYUUUMMMMM

Next favourite was tofu slices, marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic and then grilled (broiled) until lightly browned. That served cold for lunch is just superb!

Can't have any of that now :'( but sure don't miss the headaches, etc, that soy products caused for this O+ carnivore!!

Mea Culpa: Craved this Avoid last night and ordered it: a Fried Tofu dish at a Chinese Restaurant.

I've never - I really think "Never" - "craved" tofu before. But I hafta say: It Really Hit The Spot: Firm Crust, filled with the softest, pillowiest yum. Call it my version of "Martha's Stuffed Cabbage" (wink to Peter D'Adamo) for now. :B

Posted by: Drea, Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 10:26pm; Reply: 19

I just used half a block of tofu like this: sauteed in toasted sesame oil over high heat, added organic thin strips of collards (stems removed), some dried garlic bits, some wf tamari, and put a lid on the whole shebang for 10 minutes. Stirred, added ume vinegar, and enjoyed immensely. :D

Posted by: chrissyA, Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 11:00pm; Reply: 20

I mash it up and add it to egg salad. It will lessen the intensity of the egg flavor, but for me that's the whole point, without the tofu, the egg is too intense for me. Once it's all mixed together it looks just like egg salad made with extra whites. :P

Posted by: Dianne, Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 11:14pm; Reply: 21

I miss tofu. SWAMI says I can have sprouted soybean as a neutral and soybean tofu as a black dot. My HFS sells a sprouted soybean tofu.I think I'll give it a try.

Anyone heard of gomasio? It's roasted sesame seeds that have been ground up with salt added. Can also add nutritional yeast. I always make a large batch and it keeps indefinitely in the fridge.

Next, slice a firm, drained block of tofu. Pat it with a paper towel, slice it up to desired thickness, spray compliant oil on both sides. Put some gomasio in a wide dish and put tofu in it, turning to coat both sides. Then bake or fry it up. This is good cold as well.

This recipe was always a winner with adults and children alike.

Posted by: chrissyA, Tuesday, December 13, 2011, 11:32pm; Reply: 22

Quoted from Dianne

My HFS sells a sprouted soybean tofu.

Trader Joe's also sells sprouted tofu, so depending on where you live...

I can't tell any difference between the two types, so there's no need to be afraid of it ;)

Exactly. When people really hate a certain food that I like, a food that a taste must be developed for, a food you really have to learn to prepare correctly, I figure there's more for everyone else until that person gets the hang of it.

There are so few foods I really dislike that much: Just really sushi and sardines, probably.

Really happy to have just touched base with Tofu again, however -- good tofu -- even though it's an Avoid. Just another Good Thing on God's earth. :-/